NIU hosts discussion on world of athletic training

Three alumni of the Northern Illinois University College of Education will lead a discussion Tuesday on “Athletic Training – It’s Not Just for Pro Athletes.”

The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, however. RSVP by Thursday to 815-753-1949 or crumpacker@niu.edu.

Speakers are Kim Alexander, Roger A. Kalisiak and Alfred Kranz.

Alexander is the facility manager at Accelerated Rehabilitation and Sport Medicine in Roscoe. He graduated from NIU with a bachelor’s degree in athletic training as well as a master’s degree in physical therapy.

He has had the opportunity to attend the Athlete’s Performance Rehabilitation Mentorship Program, Functional Movement Screen seminars and received his ASTYM certification. He also continues to provide athletic training services to soccer tournaments throughout the northern Illinois area.

Kalisiak, a 1973 and 1974 graduate, has been a committed activist at all levels of the profession. He co-authored his state licensure act and wrote a proposal that expanded from one to three the number of athletic trainers at each school in his high school’s district.

The only two-term president in the Illinois Athletic Trainers Association history, Kalisiak went on to be Great Lakes Athletic Training Association president and History and Archives chair, and chaired the 1993 NATA annual meeting scientific program. He was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 2012. Named the 1993 NATA high school athletic trainer of the year, and NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 1995, Kalisiak also twice received the Hoffman Estates High School Principal’s Award for Excellence and the GLATA Golden Pinnacle Award.

Kalisiak currently contributes to the Athletic Training Education Program at NIU as a faculty member.

Kranz is a former faculty member of the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at NIU. He has an extensive resume spanning many decades. He is an inductee of both the State of Illinois Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame and Northern Illinois University’s Hall of Fame.

Certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association, Kranz spent many years as a coach, trainer and administrator in primary and secondary schools, as well as at the University of Chicago, George Williamson College and Illinois State University. He worked as an educational and marketing consultant for educational publishing companies and was the chief trainer for Amoco Corp., supervising its cardiac fitness, cardiac rehabilitation and its orthopedic rehabilitation programs.

He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II and received several decorations, including three Bronze Stars.